Metro News & Reviews

Latest tally and comments on Westside Subway VA Hospital station poll

Since our last update, the VA station poll has garnered 173 more votes but the results remain unchanged: most who voted still want the station, even if they won’t use it.

Here’s the breakdown as of 11am:

The poll is still open, so if you haven’t voted yet please do. One thing to remember: the Westside Subway is currently only funded to Westwood. Thus, subway planners are looking to build the line – at least for now – as far as either Westwood/UCLA or to bring it just a bit farther to the Westwood VA Hospital. To go any further west would require new funding sources and an update to the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). For more factoids relating to this poll, check out the original post.

I just wanted to add that due to ongoing war in Afghanistan etc. the number of returning injured Veteran’s is increasing and they are not all elderly. I am sure they will see the train station as a benefit not to mention the members of the Army Reserve and National Guard Units next to the VA facilities who I’m sure would ride the train rather than endure the horrible freeway traffic in and out of the area. Those who are familiar with this are know that the “short” distance from Federal or Bundy is not very short or easy access to the hospital. Let the able bodied make the journey. The Veterans will need a variety of services provided by the VA for years to come and once again the numbers are growing.

Look, I’m all for veterans getting better access to the services they need, but you gotta understand this: this project is competing for money against other projects all around the country, and one of the most significant criteria by which it will be judged is cost effectiveness. Regardless of the station location, the cost will be the same, but the fact is, if the station is further west, it will almost certainly have more ridership, and thus be more cost-effective. It will provide better access to Brentwood, AND vets will still be able to use it by means of a shuttle bus, the same shuttle bus they would be using if the station were closer. It just really is the right decision, and not all that selfish. As for the 405 line, it should have an underground transfer station on-street at Wilshire and Westwood, but that’s a whole different can of worms…

We need to think about this long-term, with the idea of a transit NETWORK in mind. Some time down the road, there will be rapid transit connecting the Valley and the Westside. The only reasonable place to put that transit line will be along I-405/Sepulveda. In that case, it makes sense to have a Purple Line station as close to the 405/Sepulveda as possible.

Allon Percus sends us this email about the specific station location on the VA site:

It’s hard for me to vote without knowing where the VA station is likely to be. Two very different options have been floated: north of Wilshire, and south of Wilshire. The first of these options could, if properly designed, be really convenient for pedestrian access to Brentwood. I would enthusiastically support it. The second option seems much less accessible to the community at large – it looks like a hospital station exclusively. That would be a great opportunity wasted.